Apparatus for finishing contact lenses



Dec. 17, 1940. A. F. DITTMER APPARATUS FOR FINISHING CONTACT LENSES Filed Doc. a1, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 0: 2. Q Q 00 L0 Pb Q Q 5 1 mm Mm mfi No Mb 00 5 h mu P0 N0 5 3 OF E. I.

ARTHUR F. DITTMER A. F. DITTMER APPARATUS FOR FINISHINGOONTAOT LENSES Dec. 11, 1940.

- Filed Doc. 31. 1938 s Sheets-Shut? ARTHUR F. DITTMER INVENTgR BY i I Dec. 17, 1940. rrr 2,225,040

I APPARATUS Eon FINISHING CONTACT LENSES Filed D80. 31, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ARTHUR F. DITTMER Dec. 11 1940.

.A. F. D'ITTMER APPARATUS FOR FINISHING CONTACT LENSES Fil'd Dec. 31. 1938 5 Sheets-SheetA ll llll Dec. 17, 1940. DlTTMER 2,225,040

APPARATUS FOR FINISHING CONTACT LENSES Filed D60. 31, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Y FIG. 20

ARTHUR F. DITTMER INVENT R m M. BY

a I ATT 9r.

Patented Dec. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR FINISHING CONTACT LENSES Arthur F. Dittmer, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Bausch a Lomb Optical Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of. New York Application December 31, 1938, Serial No. 248,831

8 Claims. (01. 29-26) The present invention relates to an apparatus for finishing contact lenses of the type having a glass corneal lens and a molded scleral rim of plastic material.

From experiment, it has been determined that there are five main factors affecting the fit of contact lenses. These factors are: (l) the radius of curvature of the scleral rim in the horizontal meridian; (2) the radius of curvature of the scleral rim in the vertical meridian; (3) the corneal build up, or the amount the rear surface of the corneal lens is spaced from the contacting surface of the scleral rim; (4) the overall size of the scleral rim; and the position of the corneal lens in the scleral rim. Other factors such as the smallest diameter of the scleral rim about the corneal lens and the shape of the joint between the scleral rim and the corneal lens are also important.

The corneal build up and radii ofcurvature in the vertical and horizontal meridians, are taken care of in a suitable molding process such as that described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 248,832, filed concurrently here with and entitled Apparatus for making contact lenses. The contact lenses are, however, molded so that the corneal lens is in the center of the scleral rim and the scleral rim is "much larger than itshould be for a finished contact lens. The molding process also fails to form a proper transition surface between the contacting surof the other variables and also of the Joint be:

tween the corneal lens and scleral rim.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for making contact lenses to close and measurable limits. Another object is to provide a contact lens hay-3.;

ing a reproducible transitlonlsurface'fbetween the contacting surface and the corneal lens and to. provide a method and apparatus for forming this transition surface. A further object is toprovide a new andimproved method and apparatusfor' finishing contact lenses. Still another object is to provide an improved method. andiapparatus for forming contact lenses to a predetermined size and decentration. These andother objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts and processes as will hereinafter be more fully set forth and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my apparatus for finishing contact lenses.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with parts in section.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. .1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing the first step in the process'of finishing the lens.

Rig. 5 is a fragmentary plan View of the edge of the molded scleral rim of the lens.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section showing the second step in the finishing process. r I

Fig. 'I is a fragmentary plan view of the tool holder used in the second step. I

Fig. 8 is a vertical section showing the third step of the process.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section showing the fourth step in the finishing process.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing the fourth step in the finishing go process.

Fig. 11 is a section taken on line ii-ll of Fig. 10. 1

Fig. 12 is a vertical section showing the fifth step in the finishing process.

Fig. 13 is a vertical section showing the sixth step in the finishing process.

Fig. 14 is a vertical section showingthe seventh step in the finishing process.

Fig. 15 is a front elevation of the mechanism for cutting the lens to size.

Fig. 16 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 17 is a section taken on line ll-ll of Fig.

Fig. 18 is a side elevation of the lens clamp. Fig. 19 is a top plan view of the lens clamp. Fig. 20 is a rear view. of a finished contact lens.

' yl ig. 21-is a vertical section thereof.

Fig. 22 is a horizontal section thereof.

Fig. 23 is an enlarged sectional view showing the construction of the joint between the corneal lens and the scleral rim.

The apparatus for finishing contact lenses according to the present invention is illustrated in jFi'g'sgil't B-wherein 30 designates a base having a'flat, top provided with bearing surfaces 3| and 32. .A blojclr 33 having bearing surfaces 34 and 35 is slidably mounted on the base 30 and carriesa depending screw 35 with an enlarged head 31 which extends into a slot 33in the base 30. A nut 39 having a handle 40 is threaded on the upper end of the screw 36 and serves to draw the head 31 into clamping engagement in the slot 38 to lock the block 33 in selected position relative to the base 30.

'tion 64 which engages in the groove 65 ofan on the. nut 62.

A chuck 5| is secured on top of the support 42' by a nut 52. t This chuck 5| has a cylindrical work receiving recess 53 and a suitable set screw 54 serves to clamp the work in the recess 53.

Two upright posts 55 and 56 are secured at the rear end of the base 30 and a flat plate 51 is secured on top of these posts by nuts 58 and 59 and projects forwardly over the base 30. Directly over the chuck 5|, the plate 51 has a tapped hole 60 in which is secured a sleeve 6|. This sleeve 5| is threaded above the plate 51 and carries a nut 62. A washer 63 rests on top of the nut 62 and is held against rotation by a prolauprig'ht 66 secured on top of the plate 51. The

upright 661s preferably graduated as indicated at 61 adjacent the projection 84 and an index 58 on the washer 63 cooperates with graduations 69 The graduations on the nut 52 and upright 68 thus serve to indicate the vertical position of the nut 62 on the sleeve 6| with great accuracy.

A sleeve I extending loosely over the sleeve 6| rests on top of the washer 63 and carries at its upper end an enlarged knob II. A third sleeve or tool spindle I2 is slidably and rotatably mounted within the sleeve 6i and is secured to the knob 'I I. A. pointed rod I3 slidably and rotatably mounted in the sleeve I2, is pressed downwardly by a coil spring I4 and has an enlarged head 15 to limit the downward movement. Th: tension of this spring is set by a screw plug threaded into the top of the sleeve I2. A set screw I6 extends through the plate 51 and sleeve and may be screwed into engagement with the sleeve I2 to lock it against movement. The lower end of the sleeve I2 is threaded at 82 to receive the various tools used in the finishing process.

The center of the chuck 5| should be directly under the pointed rod I3 and to insure this positioning, the base 30 is formed with a projection 17 through which a screw I8 extends toward the block 33. This screw I8 is adjusted until it stops the block 33 in proper alignment withthe rod I3 and is then fixed in position by a lock nut I9. A similar screw 80 extends through the projection TI to act as a stop for the support 42 and'is similarly fixed in position with a lock nut 8|.

When the contact lens is molded in the manner described in my above-mentioned copending application, the outside surfaces of the molds used in the molding process are made with a conical outside surfaceand the geometric center of the lens forming portion of the mold is located very accurately with respect to these conical surfaces. This mold shape insures accurate centering of the molds when they are transferred to the various fixtures used in the finishing process and also lo cates the geometric center of the lens along the axis of the fixture. After the contact lens has been molded and vulcanized, the molds are separated and the contact lens blank remains in the female mold. It is with this molded blank that the present invention begins.

Referring now to Fig. 4, the molded contact lens consists of a glass corneal lens 83 embedded in the plastic 84 and both adhering to the female mold 85 of dental stone being locked therein by a suitable clamp 85'. The plastic 84 extends over the rear surface of the corneal lens 83 and is much larger than the final scleral rim is to be. For the purpose of accurately locating the meridians of the molded scleral surface, irregularities such as the flat portion 85 and the projection 81 are formed in the plastic 84 and mold 85, respectively, in the molding process.

The mold 85 carrying the contact lens is placed in a conical adapter 89 and the adapter 88 is secured in the recess 53 of the chuck 5| by the set screw. A center drill 89 is secured on the end 82 of the sleeve I2 and a depression 99 is formed in the plastic 84 in alignment with the center of the corneal lens 83. The tool 89 is then removed and a tool holder 9| substituted. The tool holder 9| has its end bifurcated to form two arms 92 and 93 between which the tool 94 is clamped by means of a screw 95.

The rod I3 engages in the depression 99 for accurate centering and the cutting edge 96 of the tool 94 is so shaped as to cut a conical groove in the plastic 84 back of the lens 83. The angle, depth, and radius of this groove is determined by experience in the actual fitting of contact lenses. mm. deep and 12 mm. in outside diameter is satisfactory but obviously other angles, depths and sizes could be used.

The tool 94 is then removed and a tool 91 substituted therefor. This tool 31 cuts a cylindrical surface from'the bottom of the sixty degree surface straight through to the corneal lens 83 and the plastic 84 behind the lens 83 is removed.

The tool holder 9| is then removed and a bracket 98 is mounted on the end 82 of the sleeve I2. A chamfering tool 99 is slidably mounted in the bracket 98 and is urged away from the work by a spring I00 which engages the enlarged head I 0| of the tool 99. The tool 99 is manually pressed into engagement with the work. A screw I02 extends through the bracket 98 into a slot I03.in the head IOI of the tool 99 to hold the tool against rotation in the bracket. The cutting end of the tool 99 is slotted to form two arms I04 and I05, the arm I05 being slightly longer than the arm I04 and having the actual cutting surface. The chamfering tool 99 may be set at any desired angle and I have found that an angle of forty-five degrees is satisfactory. This chamfered surface extends between the sixty degree conical surface and the contacting surface. Although this chamfered surface may or may not be truly conical, according to geometry, the term "conical surface as used in the claims is to be construed as including this chamfered surace.

The sharp edges formed by these cut surfaces are then rounded and polished by means of the bufling wheel I06 illustrated in Fig. 12. An ordi nary felt dentist's polishing wheel is suitable for this purpose and a very fine abrasive such as pumice or rouge in water suspension is used on the wheel I06. This buffing or polishing operation does no more than break and smooth the sharp edges formed by the cut surfaces.

The inside joint between the corneal lens 83 and the plastic 84 is now complete and, since it is formed by accurately set tools,. is entirely re- I have found that a sixty degree cut, 3

producible. The female plaster mold 80 carrying the lens 88 and plastic 84 is then placed in a tapered form I01 and the hollow plastic contact lens blank 84 is filled with a suitable plaster I00 such as plaster of Paris to form a male mold. The two molds with the plastic 84 and lens 88 between them are then removed from the form I01 and the female stone mold is cut away leaving the comact lensblank 84 on the male mold I08.

The male mold I08 is placed in an adapter I08 which has a central .conical hole IIO having the same taper as the form I01. The adapter I08 has two oppositely disposed slots II I and H2 near its large opening for receiving a plate II8. A screw II4 threaded through the plate II8 bears against the lower end of the male mold I08 and forces it toward the small end of the conical hole IIO thus both centering the mold I08 and looking it in the adapter I00. The geometric center of the lens forming portion of the mold I08 also 'occupies a predetermined position about the axis of the adapter as explained above. This adapter I08 is then secured in the seat 08 of the chuck 0| and locked in position by the set screw 04.

A small metal bearing member IIO having a central depression H8 for receiving the point of the rod or plunger 18 is secured centrally of the lens 83 by sealing wax H1 or other suitable adhesive. A suitable tool H8 is mounted in a bracket such as the bracket or fixture 88 which is secured on the end 82 of the tool spindle 12 and the plastic 84 is cut through to'the outside edge of the bevel of the lens 88. The cutting face H8 may be formed at any desired angle but I prefer setting this cutting face at an angle of about thirty degrees. This angle leaves the plastic thick near the edge and hence prevents any warping, splitting or cracking which would. irritate the eyelids. K

The sharp corner between the cut surface and the outside molded surface of the plastic rim 84 is then rounded by means of a polishing wheel similar to that shown in Fig. 12.

The joint between the lens 88 and the plastic 84 is now complete and has the appearance shown in Fig. 23. The inner contacting surface I20 of the rim 84 is formed in the molding process and needs no finishing. The surface indicated at I2I is the conical surface formed by the edge 88 of the tool 94 and the cylindrical surface I22 is the one formed by the tool 81. This surface I22 joins the lens 88at the edge of the bevel I28. The surface I 24 is that formed by the chamfering tool 98 and the final surface I20 is the final surface after the polishing wheel I08 has rounded the edges formed in the cutting. The amount of outside surface I21 of the rim 84 as indicated at After the joint is complete, it is necessary to cut the rim 80 to the proper size with the rim 88 at the proper decentration. The size is preferably determined by angular measure as indicated in Figs. 21 and 22. The angle determining the overall size of the rim 84 is the angle 20: whose apex is located at the center of the torus. The angle 5 in Fig. 22 designates the amount of decentration. These angles a and ,8 are determined by experiment and are preferably fixed for each lens of the test set.

The decentration is obtained by rotating the holes, one of which is indicated at I80 in Fig. 15,

for receiving the screw I28. Thev two holes are provided so that the clamp I28 can be moved to difi'erent positions thus permitting the plastic to be out around its entire periphery.

The adapter I08 carrying the mold and contact lens is then looked in the chuck 0| by the set screw 04. The chuck 0| and adapter I08 are designed so that the geometric center 0 of the lens forming torus is located at the center of curvature of the arcuate surface 4| so that moving the support 42 on the surface H of the block 83 causes the contact lens to tilt about its center 0. The decentration is thus obtained by setting the support 42 at the angle p and looking it in position by the screws 41 and 48. Suitable cooperating marks, not shown, on the support 42 and guides 45 and 40, serve to indicate the angle 8.

The cutting attachment consistsof an arcuate block I3I secured on the end 82 of the sleeve 12. Two' arcuate arms I82 and I88 having grooves I84 and I30, respectively, slidably engage the opposite sides of the block I8I. These arms I82 and I88 are suitably secured at one end to a support I88 by screws or bolts I81 and are secured at their other ends by screws or bolts I88 to brackets I 89 and I40, respectively. These brackets I88 and I40 are in turn secured to the support I80by a screw or bolt I. A screw I 42 extending through, the bracket I88 is threaded in the bracket I40 and serves to draw the brackets plate I48 to which two dove-tailedguides I44'and I40 are secured by screws or bolts I48. A slide I41 is movably mounted between these guides and carries at its ,outer end an upstanding bracket I48 in which a screw I48 is rotatably mounted. This screw I48 is threaded in the support I80 so that rotation of the screw causes sliding movement of the slide I41 relative to the guides I44 and I40.

A plate I00 is rotatably secured on the bottom of the slide I41 by a shoulderscrew IOI and carries a bracket I02 secured thereto by screws I08 for receiving a fixture indicated generally at I04.

This fixture I04 may be a dental right angle hand piece. A cutting tool such as the saw I00 is secured on the hand piece I04 and a plateI08 attached to the bracket I02 extends over and braces the saw I00. The fixture I04 is mounted in the bracket I02 so that the axis of rotation of the saw is coincident with the axis of rotation of the plate I00. The hand piece I04 is driven from a source of power, not shown. through the cable I01. The mold I08 was made of the soft plaster of Paris rather than the harder dental stone to reduce the wear on the teeth of the saw I00.

In operation, the arms I82 and I88'are moved relative to the block I8I until the slide I41 is at an .angle of approximately a to the sleeve 12 and the arms are then locked in position by the screw I42. The angle a is indicated by suitable cooperating marks, not shown, on the block I 8| and arms I82 and I88. when the angle a is fixed for the entire series of lenses, this angular selected to hold the mold in a inea ,.s1 ass-; ;orneal portionand 8. eral ,r rm tion 1 huckmacuifi i091, and

4 9 nieirigiarseciinm 5.183831 thezchuck iniD -P gtig 'to;saidgtqel,;said;mbansxcomshgged to eomgifl to onegsurfaceioiz the; contact 1 3 wq-na sconicall-pcwting 5 Po on) M1119 t thegeomet 'imcentercoi said; enga m l zso the n adapte an a-said-gchucle mmacating saidadaptera all:

in 'piedetefiiiined relation to said cutting tool;v

tfy saidggniaetg-lens;'andflmeansfor moving m mo] wa nut said sontact lens. 2

4 aiiparatus ,ior cuttinga contaot 'lens'of the {type avinge a zglass'corneailens and a'molded l dm itionr a i e. Said iiadamr" d v ce tqnliin h ns wn g- -a' ens engaging.:poz:tlon;

locating; portionaibeing fixed on and hasm-1011mm cbnevp ssinz" w enteraamadapter, havingiuJconical ior eceivingusaid 'moldgizthewangie and; radius 01 said opening being fixed to locatesai'd;

agpqx atusr 1011-; :reproduCibly "cutting the chuck x3e tive; to, said base; meansiiforlrsecuringt ens on, sale ,shuck witmit's geometric-J relati netq-said chuckgia plate d base and extendingwvensaid:- tob spindle rqtatablyi; and s sli'dablyz 7 n gt synthetic resin, 7 so that the: lens anew isvdec ente f d lllr hgtl' m by a "predetermined an ale. c mmine a chuck anon/ably; mounted on said-base for -arcuate-:-I novement about ,anaxis 133W?! semi-chu k slidapl -1nounteg1 in$8a1d D'llte, the axis;ot.rota- Q 9? .o jl ei t old tetsnecting said horizontal: axis ub tantia ly treem ndicuimy in; aaldcenter-,:.v a

' cutting tool; earriedgbysaidlspindle and? rotatable-therewith to: moving saidzspin dle: to bring saids'wtting-i tool ali-ne engagementam na the @Qleralrtim: 01: said lens: 5. J 1 1' i apparatusizfor contact? lense QQDQDILQQBQ; a -2base;;-aiaupportfslidablyai mounted on saidebasely-mthqckimovably mounted on said support to: arcuateimovementgahoutia horizon am on :saidmhuckloriholdlng aconf; be: finished: upright: can-1' ed: by said-gbase'; in; spacedarelation to said support; a plate cax tiedn byisaidiupnght. andxextending ovef 581dhl10ki5 vertical tool? spindle slid'a'bly and rotatablyc rded-why; said plate aabove' and 'in fill nment withwsaid chuck; means-on said spindle tonsupp rtinxaaellenszfinishing tooland means to'r sliding'gsaid'spindle toiadiust thep'osition 01 88.1(! relative-Ito saidzchuckev I 16.; ;An apparatus-for: forminga. ecentered Com pgsitei lensscomprising "a bas; 1a *chuck mommy-mounted on said base'- iorarcuate move-'- nen'tz about anaaxis parallel to 's'aid base, a' lens suppogt having, atalensi r'ec'eivin'gsurface shaped tovr;. 0ntormvto"onei surtacei'ot the lens, means for securlnzi thevlens-asupport in said chuck so that the geometricicenter oi the lens receiving surface lies on the axis of movement of said chuck, a spindle xtotatablyacarried' by said support so that its .avrx-isaiperpendicularly: intersects the axis of movementrofisaideh'uck atthe mime-me een t er oi the lens receivihgsurtaee ot the lens'fsu iport;

and aicutting 1001 can-led by said'ispindle iqr cutting;adenspositibriedori 'said supportt time of a contaet lens a, iuiedeterminedl size comprinirit ii. base' 'a chucli "niovably mounted on tadti lens on 'said 'ehuck withits geometric center on the' axis oi." ai'uate movement of saidchuckr avertical "cylindrical heari'ngearried by's'aid base above and in alignment with said fghuck, aj tool spmd1e...-snaa 1'y and rotat'ably' mounted'in said bearingfatool"' su pp6rt can'ied by saidspindle a cutting tool moyably ea 'riedhy said ,s'uaimt a predete niin'edf n le said jspindle rneans for sliding said spindlejbjlocate, the'tool relative to con taetflens" and means vfor moving said tool on said support to cut said Contact lens.

I 8. An apparatus for finishing, contact lenses comprising a base, alehuek movably mounted on said In; a 'auate-moyement" about :a horizontali axis ayentical cylindricalbearing carried by said ,baseahove and in'alignment with'said chuck,

al tool spindle slldably and rotatably mounted in said" bearing, means .onethei lower -end 01 said spindle for supporting-a lens flnishin'g tool and means for, sliding saici'spixidle in said bearing to adjust the position of the tool'relative tdsaid chuck. 

